Like Big Foot, or the Loch Ness Monster, Slenderman is a myth, existing within pop culture lore and the imagination of some, lacking any concrete evidence. Imagination was what created Slenderman — a lanky, faceless human dressed in a suit, sometimes with shadowy tentacles protruding from its back — but it was readers' fascination with the figure that gave it life.

From there, Slenderman's popularity propelled it to sites like 4Chan, an online photo commenting board and creepypasta.wikia.com, a site for users to host and share short stories framed as non-fiction, aimed to "unnerve and shock the reader", according to the site.

"This is an isolated incident, and does (not) represent ... the Creepypasta community as a whole. This wiki does not endorse or advocate for killing, worship, and otherwise replication of rituals of fictional works. There is a line of between fiction and reality, and it is up to you to realize where the line is. We are a literature site, not a satanic cult."

Since 2009, Slenderman has inspired various Youtube videos and two video games in which gamers are encouraged to wander through a dark forest without being caught by the shadowy figure.